Atlantic Technology 642 SB Brochure & Specs

Browse online or download pdf Brochure & Specs for Home Cinema speakers Atlantic Technology 642 SB. Atlantic Technology 642 SB 3 pages. High performance c.o.r.e. technology thx select certified powered subwoofer
Also for Atlantic Technology 642 SB: Instruction Manual (12 pages)

Print Page

TEST REPORT

Atlantic Technology

System 4200 Home Theater Speakers

igh-tech wonders like the DVD

and Dolby Digital get much of

the credit, but the home theater

revolution owes just as much to

a more mundane development:

compact, affordable subwoofer/

satellite speaker systems. Indeed, sub/sat

arrays with six, seven, and even eight

speakers are now the home theater stan-

dard, found in "normal" homes as often as

in those of over-the-top A/V enthusiasts.

Boston's Atlantic Technology can prob-

ably take as much credit as any manufac-

turer for furthering this trend. From its in-

ception 15 years ago, all of its speaker sys-

tems have been sub/sat arrays. As home

theater sound has evolved, Atlantic Tech's

offerings have grown ever more sophisti-

cated. Case in point is its new System

4200, a THX Select-certiﬁed suite of com-

pact satellites and a not-so-compact sub-

woofer. THX certiﬁcation is a sort of Good

52 MAY 2004 SOUND & VISION

DANIEL KUMIN

Housekeeping seal that guarantees the sys-

tem has dispersion characteristics consid-

ered by Lucasﬁlm to be optimum for home

theater playback.

The 4200 array is clearly descended

from previous Atlantic Technology speak-

ers, but its manufacturer claims several im-

portant distinctions for it beyond the new

slanted-back cabinets. First, the drivers are

said to be the same ones used in Atlantic

Tech's $17,000 ﬂagship System 8200.

Second, the System 4200 features

C.O.R.E. (Custom Optimized Room En-

hanced) technology to make it unusually

adaptable to system conditions and room

acoustics. The three front speakers have

both a Boundary Compensation switch (to

smooth out the sound if they're installed

close to a wall or a big TV screen) and a

three-position treble adjustment. The sur-

round speakers can be switched between

dipole and bipole operation via toggles un-

der the metal-screen grilles, which attach

to curiously strong magnets in the four cor-

ners. Niftoid!

The metal grilles on all the satellites are

also a dramatic visual improvement over

the boring black knit on many previous At-

lantic Technology speakers. But the most

obvious innovation is the removable deco-

rative side panels, which bring cellphone

fashion thinking to home theater. With the

front speakers and subwoofer, you can

choose between gloss black, maple, or

matte silver. Snapping panels in place was

a cinch, and they looked great.

I set up the system as usual: front L/R

speakers on stands, the center speaker on

top of my TV, and the surrounds (set in

their dipole mode, initially) on high, side-

wall shelves. Though the 642 SB subwoof-

er has a 12-inch driver, it's barely smaller

than my everyday 15-incher. I placed it in

the best location in my room, which is to